James: ‘Entitlement Kills Us’

There is no doubt that playing for the Dallas Cowboys brings a ton of pressure. Possibly, the most pressure of playing on any other team. “America’s Team” has always been the center of the NFL world, whether good or bad. People love the Cowboys, and people love to hate the Cowboys. There may be no other team in the NFL that has such a massive following, and also a massive hating.

That being said, it has been a while since the Cowboys have had much to be proud about. They have won only one playoff game in the last 15 years. While they have captured the division a few times, there seems to be a mental hurdle to get over if they wish to progress.

Bradie James spoke out on Monday, via Fox Sports, as to why he thinks the Cowboys are facing these challenges now, “I think the entitlement kills us,” James told Foxsports.com in a story posted Monday. “Our alumni, our former greats have made us America’s Team and we reap benefits that we haven’t earned — all the way around, as individuals, as a team. Those guys earned it. We just think we deserve it.”

Truer words may have never been spoken. The Cowboys storied past may have earned them the title “America’s Team” in the 60’s, 70’s, early 80’s, and half of the 90’s, but it has been a long time since the Cowboys have done anything to retain it since.

Many fans have ideas as to why. The owner. The coach. The quarterback. The excuses ring on. But maybe it isn’t the talent, but the mindset. If the current Cowboys buy into the hype every year, then the trend may continue. James wants his teammates to attack it; to go out and earn it for themselves. That cause might be something he can get his teammates to buy into.

One thing is for sure, this team can use a different culture around the locker room. Maybe head coach Jason Garrett and defensive coordinator Rob Ryan are the guys to usher in that new culture. Even if they can, it is up to the leaders like James, Romo, Witten and Ware to buy in and lead.